Taking Care of Your Body While Working From Home

Perhaps one of the reasons you decided to quit the corporate jungle was to escape a toxic work environment. The stressful job, the grueling hours, the demanding bosses, these probably took a toll on you. Yet months later, even if you already work from home or from an exotic travel destination, you find yourself just as frazzled.

Remote work can feel like a trap for beginners in its own way. Especially if your clients follow a different time zone, you may find yourself working long, oddly-timed hours that stretch well past the typical 9-to-5. It’s not the reason for all your health problems, but it does create some new ones. The good news: every one of these has a real fix.

Is Sleep Becoming a Rare Treat When You Work From Home?

One of the great things about remote working is that you get to work with people across the globe. With the power of the internet, you gain exposure to different work ethics and practices in your chosen industry. Unfortunately, this can sometimes upset your sleeping habits.

A shifting work schedule can negatively impact your body’s resting cycle. The effects of an irregular shift can be likened to the effects of jet lag. Especially if you work at night, you may gain a risk in heart and digestive problems. Overwork and fatigue can also make focusing difficult and may cause bouts of insomnia.

To counter problems with sleeping, shift your schedule gradually. If you can choose your hours, adjust your routine over a few days to give your body time to catch up. Don’t rely too much on caffeine, since it can keep you awake even once it’s actually time to rest. An app like Sleep Cycle can help you track your sleeping habits and spot patterns behind bouts of insomnia.

If you work at night, surround yourself with bright light to stay alert. Likewise, if you sleep during the day, sleep in the dark as a cue to your body to slow down and rest. Blackout curtains block out sun and street noise from outside, fooling your body into thinking it’s nighttime even when it’s not.

Lastly, if you are so busy you barely see your bed, take frequent naps during your breaks at work. A few power naps have positive effects on your energy, even if they’re shorter than what you would have liked. Just make sure you don’t sleep with the work timer turned on.

When Overwork Translates to Overweight

Another effect of remote work on your body is weight change. Some people lose weight when they start working remotely, others gain it over time. Irregular sleep plays a role, but an unhealthy diet is usually the bigger culprit. Surviving on fast food and junk food is no way to live, especially when you’re already keeping odd hours.

To take control of your weight, take control of the food you eat. As the guys at nerdfitness.com say, diet is still the most important thing. Whatever your working hours may be, your food choices primarily affect your health. Try these meal plans specifically designed for night shift workers.

Even if you have a rigorous schedule, make time to cook and prepare meals. If you’re really restricted on time, prepare ahead on your days off or slower working days. Buy the food, cook it, and store it to last through your work week. Meals like the 30-minute recipes from Iowa Girl Eats make this a lot easier to keep up.

However difficult your job may be, you can always make time to eat well if you make it a priority. If you resent the time food preparation takes from work, think of it instead as time invested in your health, since the healthier your body is, the more work you can actually get done.

Becoming a Caffeine Zombie When You Work From Home

Caffeine may seem like the easy way out of restless nights and pressing deadlines. Yet it only presents a temporary solution and can have negative effects over time.

Heavily-caffeinated drinks, such as energy drinks and sodas, usually contain large doses of sugar. Sweeteners give you a temporary energy boost, but they drain you of more energy once it wears off.

If you really need a boost of energy, look for caffeine in low-sugar sources such as green tea, black coffee, and some fruits. Even drinking enough water improves focus and brain function. Keep track of your hydration with a few simple changes to your routine.

Exercise also provides a natural energy boost. If you work difficult shifts, working out right after waking up helps your body relax and prepares you for the day ahead.

Getting Fixed to Your Chair: Posture When You Work From Home

Lastly, working long hours seated can take its toll on your posture and joints. A few changes to your setup can make a real difference.

To reduce back aches and encourage good blood circulation, invest in an adjustable table and a comfortable office chair. The former lets you work standing up for a few hours a day, burning more calories than you would sitting. The latter keeps your spine in check and helps prevent the aches that come with sitting all day. Overstock is worth checking for both at reasonable prices.

Make time to stretch every hour and walk around once in a while. Engage in active sports during your days off to keep your body in shape. Even a habit as simple as exercising for thirty minutes a day produces real improvements in your overall well-being.

Remote work is genuinely not as easy as it sounds, but there’s always a way to make it work without sacrificing your well-being. Beyond equipment and workspace, your body is also something worth taking care of to keep doing good work. When you’re your own boss, you have more room than most to build a lifestyle that keeps you in good physical shape, and that pays off directly in the work itself.

If you’re worried about more than the little things, have a look at our article on the best insurance policies for remote workers.